North Korea may be helping Syria build some kind of nuclear facility, a US newspaper reported Thursday, citing unnamed intelligence sources.

Israeli secret service relayed the information to the US government, which The Washington Post described as "dramatic." "The new information, particularly images received in the past 30 days, has been restricted to a few senior officials under the instructions of national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, leaving many in the intelligence community unaware of it or uncertain of its significance," the American daily reported.

"Some (sources) cautioned that initial reports of suspicious activity are frequently reevaluated over time and were skeptical that North Korea and Syria, which have cooperated on missile technology, would have a joint venture in the nuclear arena," the Post added.